Runaway Bay Jamaican Chicken

"I got this recipe from my sister, who searches for delicious and unusual dishes. This one lit up the family, and everyone loved it. As it got passed around to family and friends, slight changes occurred. For instance, you can omit the cilantro if you don't care for it or use less nutmeg and more cloves; the possibilities are endless. Just be sure you use caution when working with habaneros. Rubber gloves would be ideal."

Footnotes

Note

The nutrition data for this recipe includes information for the full amount of the marinade ingredients. Depending on marinating time, ingredients, cooking method, etc., the actual amount of the marinade consumed will vary.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jan 25, 2004

It's too bad somebody messed up their rating for this recipe, because it's got a really terrific flavor. My only changes were to cut the recipe down to 2 servings, but I still used a whole habanero (3x the listed amount), and I left in the seeds and veins. I used half the suggested amount of cilantro, dried instead of fresh, and broiled the chicken for 20 minutes instead of grilling. With the extra, unseeded pepper this was extremely hot, but still irresistable! Next time, and there will be a next time, I'll probably remove about half the pepper seeds, and use a little less cinnamon, and will definitely serve this with applesauce or something else to help cut the heat. If you aren't familiar with habaneros, they're one of the hottest peppers you can get, but they have a unique sweet taste that goes fantastic with chicken (and IMHO they freeze really well), so don't substitute if you can avoid it.

Most Helpful Critical Review

Jun 14, 2010

I've been in jamaica many times, and pretty much found this recipe to be quite boring. I thought the habenero's would kick it up, but not really. Will look for something with more taste and will toss this one.

This recipe is AWESOME... When I found it I wanted to make it right away so I only marinated it for about 3 hrs with the chicken cut up in chunks for skewers on the grill... it tasted great with the grilled veggies. I also used jalapeno in it instead of habanero, next time I will go with the habanero. My boyfriend raved about it he can't wait till we make it again. I made coconut black bean rice from this site to go with it and it paired really well. :0)

I started to prepare this and overlooked the "overnight" part. I didn't have time to marinade for even half the amount of time and it still came out great! To get a milder spicy result I subbed jalapeno for habanero and didn't allow too many seeds in the mix. Combo of ingredients is so unique, in the end you should taste everything, the cloves, cinnamon, brown sugar, mmmmmmm, can't wait to make again! Thanks Janis!

I thought this was fantastic. I wasn't too sure of it by the smell when I was marinating it but once I put it on the grill it started smelling wonderful. My fiance ate FIVE pieces of it. The only change I made was using a jalepeno instead of a habenero. I didn't want the heat to take away from the flavor. Also, make sure you marinate it for atleast 8 hours. Thanks for the recipe!

This marinade recipe is fantastic and so versatile! I decided to try it, because I my boyfriend and I recently went to jamaica and he loved the jerk chicken. Although this is not as spicy made as it, still excellent and you can make it spicy to taste. It is slightly a pain to make, but has superb flavor that everyone raved about. I made a huge batch to keep some on hand, so it is worth the hassle. It can even be used to make a quick and tasty pasta sauce with some added milk or cream. Thank you for the favorable recipe!

I thought I'd hate it since it called for cilantro but it was good and we had no leftovers which is high praise from my family. If you like cilantro than you'll love this. If you're not a fan the flavor is not overpowering. The spice combination did not overpower the meat so I wouldn't decrease the spices. And the brown sugar made a nice carmelized browning since the breasts I used were skinless. This would be good with turkey too. I found it made alot of marinade. I did up 6 breasts and I had lots leftover so I froze it. Hopefully it will keep well that way.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.